Deaneries of the Anglican Diocese of Huron

The first Anglican worship services in Southampton and Port Elgin were held in the 1850s by Rev. Arthur Hill Ringland Mulholland. They were 2 of the 18 preaching stations where Rev Mullholland conducted regular services. Today, Southampton and Port Elgin, along with the township of Saugeen, are in the amalgamated town of Saugeen Shores (2006 pop. 11,720) located in Bruce County, Ontario on the shores of Lakes Huron.

The Southampton parish was officially founded on 20 September 1859 with the first church building opening on 24 February, 1861. That church was destroyed by fire in 1886 that wiped out a large part of the town. The present St. Paul’s Church was constructed in 1887.

St. John’s, Port Elgin has always been a two-point parish with St. Paul’s, Southampton. The building was constructed in 1886. In 1928, a parish hall was built which was replaced by a new building opened in May 1977.

Rector is the Rev. Margaret Greenhow.   Parish of Saugeen Shores website.

Archdeacon is Ven. Dr. Jawn Kolohon, since Jan 1, 2008, of St. George’s, Owen Sound. For more than 7 years he was rector of the 6-point Parish of the Bruce Peninsula. The Regional Dean is Rev Claire Miller, rector of St. Thomas’ Church, Owen Sound.

Saugeens is most northerly of the diocese’s archdeaconries bordered by Georgian Bay to the north and Lake Huron to the west. The area is mostly rural with Owen Sound being the largest town with a population of 21,753. Shown is Christ Church, Meaford built in 1876.

Parish of the Bruce Peninsula Website

Since 1959 the parish has contained six congregations: St Margaret’s, Cape Chin; St Andrew’s, Howdenvale; Christ Church, Lion’s Head; St Peter’s-by-the-Lake, Sauble Beach; St. Edmund’s, Tobermory; Trinity Church, Wiarton. St Margaret’s is currently a chapel of ease with services only held in the summer.

The rector is based in Wiarton, the largest town with a population of a little over 2,000. After serving the parish since the Spring of 1999, on January 1 2008, the Ven. Dr. Jawn Kolohon assumed the transitional ministry position at St. George’s, Owen Sound.

Church’s Website

Rev. Alphonsus Rose visited Sydenham (now Owen Sound) in 1846 and returned the following year to take up permanent residence. Rev. Rose quickly formed a Anglican congregation in the village. 2 years later in 1849 the Diocese of Toronto created a parish centered in Sydenham covering all of what is today Grey and Bruce Counties with Rev. Rose being moved to Guelph to assume greater responsibilities.

A frame church was built in 1852 but the parish’s first priest Arthur Mulholland also conducted regular services at 18 preaching stations in the sparsely populated surrounding area. It was only after the Diocese of Huron was founded in 1857 that additional churches were opened and Rev. Mulholland was gradually released from his preaching duties outside of Owen Sound.

Rev. Rose died in Toronto and in his will he left three town lots at Sydenham to the Anglican Church. It is on these lots present Saint George’s Church was constructed in 1881.

34 Boucher Street East, Meaford, Ontario

The present stone church building was completed in 1876.

During World War 2 while serving as a Military Chaplain Rev. Harold Appleyard gathered fragments and received permission from bombed churches to have the glass returned to Christ Church as a memorial for Canadian men and women who served overseas.   They form six stained glass windows from 125 English and Welsh churches as well as some from Ireland, France, Belgium and Holland.

Christ Church, Meaford is in a 2-point parish with the smaller congregation of St. James, Fairmount.   More on Christ Church, Meaford, Ontario.

St. Margaret’s web page

St. Margaret’s is part of the 6-point Parish of Bruce Peninsula and it is currently a chapel of ease, with services held Sunday evenings during the summer.

The church was built in 1925 from the design of Major F.B. James of Walkerton who had designed a similar church in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).

The Anglican Parish of Chatsworth, Ontario consists of the active churches of St. Paul’s, Chatsworth and St. John’s, Desboro.

St. Philip’s Church, Walters Falls built in 1880, has been a Chapel of Ease since 2002.

The first internment at the cemetary was the founder of Walter’s Falls, John Walter, in 1867. His widow donated the land for the church and cemetary.

There is an annual memorial service at St Philip’s as well as occasional weddings and funerals.

St Peter’s Website

St Peter’s-by-the-Lake is one of 6 congregations that make up the Parish of Bruce Peninsula. The building became an Anglican church in 1950 when the spire was added, before that it had been a Presbyterian church. Originally built before 1913 it had been originally been a barber shop, then a furniture store and then a shoe repair shop.

Since 1979, as part of their spiritual formation, students of theology in the Diocese of Huron have participated in the summer ministries at St. Peter’s-By-the-Lake.